The top 25 albums of 2009

A rock supergroup, a bunch of bearded metallers and a dubstep DJ from Waiheke Island released some of the best music of the year. Reviewer Chris Schulz picks his top 25 albums for 2009.

1. Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures: A supergroup that finally lived up to that overused title, Josh Homme, Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones delivered a cracker of a debut that combined the best bits of their combined careers thanks to Jones' chugging rhythms, Grohl's crisp beats and Homme's sinister howls. It was a rare case of a band being much more than the sum of its parts.

2. Veckatimest - Grizzly Bear: An album to fall in love with. Even rapper Jay-Z was head-over-heels for eclectic Brooklyn band Grizzly Bear, thanks to Veckatimest's brand of jagged folk that regularly turned in some swoopingly sublime moments, especially on singles Two Weeks and While You Wait For the Others.

3. Merriweather Post Pavilion - Animal Collective: They'd already released seven albums of eccentric electronica by the time Merriweather Post Pavilion came out in January, but along with awesome recent EP Fall Be Kind it was the turning point for Baltimore's Animal Collective and their spaced-out soundscapes. The scary thing is, they could get even better.

4. The Ecstatic - Mos Def: Hip-hop's biggest highlight in 2009 came from Dante Terrell Smith-Bey, or rapper Mos Def, who emerged from a pretty dire recording rut to release this celebratory record that lived up to it's title. It was full of sparkling production work from The Neptunes, Mad Lib and the late J Dilla, all matched by  Smith-Bey's most exhilarating rhymes to date.

5. Crack the Skye - Mastodon: This year's best metal album will be played in full at next year's Big Day Out for a very good reason: It's warped prog-metal at its best. Thunderous riffs, pounding drums, and doom-laden vocals - and that's just first single Oblivion. Make sure you check Mastodon out - and their grizzly bushmen's beards - on January 15.

6. Wolfgang Armadeus Phoenix - Phoenix: French act Phoenix were another that have taken their time to reach widespread acclaim, but they did it in style on their light-hearted electro-pop dream of a fourth album. Almost every track - and especially the singalong chorus' of 1901 and Lisztomania - was a winner,

7. Eclipse - Optimus Gryme: Waiheke Island dubstep producer Charlie B used a British electronic template for his debut album, but slowed down his wobbly bass-laden grooves and came up with something as deep, soulful and nourishing as anything by Massive Attack. A moody revelation.

8. Primary Colours - The Horrors: The Horrors had great haircuts but were tipped to be one-album wonders. Therefore, Primary Colours was a massive surprise and for that we can thank Portishead's Geoff Barrow, who channelled the British quartet's intensity into a sparse, potent record. That they left their best song ever - Whole New Way - off the album proves just how good it is.

9. La Roux - La Roux: Forget about Britney, Rihanna and Beyonce - this year's best pop release came courtesy of quiff-sporting UK singer Elly Jackson and shy producer Ben Langmaid. If you can't enjoy the hook-laden thrills of In For the Kill, Quicksand and Bulletproof for the pop gems they are, you don't like music.

10. Farm - Dinosaur Jr: Loud, brash and as cantankerous as your cranky nextdoor neighbour, Farm proved J Masics and the boys still had a few grunge tricks left up their sleeves.

11. It's Blitz - Yeah Yeah Yeahs: They may have swapped their guitars for keyboards but their synth-heavy new sound suited front woman Karen O, guitarist Nick Zinner and drummer Brian Chase. Spine-tingling ballad Skeletons was a new career highlight.

12. Miike Snow - Miike Snow: They co-wrote Britney Spears' Toxic but Swedish electro pop outfit Miike Snow proved they'd saved some of their best tunes for themselves on darkened pop grooves like Cult Logic and Black & Blue.

13. A Brief History of Love - The Big Pink: Brutally bleak rock married to industrial strength rhythms and occasional electronic flourishes proved to be a winner for heirs of Nine Inch Nails' throne. Velvet was one of the songs of the year.

14. Blakroc - Blakroc: It was a questionable decision for rockers The Black Keys to record a hip-hop record, but people stopped complaining once they'd heard Blakroc and blues-drenched songs like Coochie and Dollaz & Sense.

15 & 16: Something Awesome - David Dallas & Bazooka Kid - PNC: Hard to separate these vibrant and original local hip-hop releases. David Dallas created a summery soul-drenched stunner, while PNC wrote a love letter to the 80s. Both were rap magic, and you should have them.

17. Only Built for Cuban Links vol II - Raekwon: It took Raekwon 14 years to follow-up his solo debut, but he managed to recreate that classic Wu-Tang Clan vibe on tracks like 10 Bricks and Gihad. Just as essential as his original.

18. The Beatles boxset: The Beatles were everywhere in 2009, and here's why: Thirteen classic albums remastered in both mono and stereo. They're pricey, but open up your wallet because they're worth it - everything except Yellow Submarine, perhaps.

19. Two Suns - Bat For Lashes: Natasha Khan creates gloomy indie-pop wrapped up in Bjork-like vocals that makes listeners feel bad and good at the same time. An enchanting listen.

20. Degrees of Existence - Dimmer: Shane Carter proved himself once again to be among the country's best songwriters with Dimmer's fourth album, another beligerent beast containing wild mood swings and stunning single Cold Water.

21. Bitte Orca - Dirty Projectors: Multi-tracked vocals, skewed guitar riffs and masterful songwriting from frontman Dave Longstreth combined to create the band's eighth album Bitte Orca and swooping songs like  Stillness is the Move.

22. Chant Darling - Lawrence Arabia: Beautifully skewed pop gems from emerging singer/songwriter James Milne that contained the award-winning single Apple Pie Bed.

23. Screens - Mint Chicks: Not as feisty as the genre-bending classic Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! but just as explorative, Screens saw the slimmed down trio adding 60's pop to their angular indie rock. It worked a treat.

24. The Eternal - Sonic Youth: Sixteen albums in and still going strong, Sonic Youth seemed freshly inspired on The Eternal. It's hard to imagine a rock landscape without them.

25. Stroke: Songs For Chris Knox: A compilation album that not only gathered some of the best overseas and local talent together on a 37-track double album but also proved to be a timely reminder of Chris Knox' genius. An album every Kiwi household should have.

* Do you agree? Did we miss something? Post your own lists below.

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